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September brought both opportunities and challenges for supply chains. Uber took a step into the future with its first drone delivery partnership, while NVIDIA continued its push to shape the AI infrastructure market through major new deals.
On the transportation front, import volumes slowed as tariffs pressured trade flows. Cyber risks also picked up, with software supply chain attacks running at double their usual pace. These developments reflect the ongoing shifts supply chain leaders need to keep on their radar.
Drone Deliveries Take Off
Uber is moving into drone delivery. The company announced in September that it is partnering with Flytrex, a U.S.-based provider of autonomous aerial delivery systems. The service is expected to begin with Uber Eats pilot markets later this year and will combine Flytrex’s FAA-approved technology with Uber’s existing logistics network.
Flytrex is one of only four companies cleared by the FAA for Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations and has already completed more than 200,000 deliveries in the U.S. By linking its drones with Uber’s platform, the partnership aims to shorten delivery times and provide another option for moving food and other items to consumers.
“Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s president of autonomous mobility, in a press release. “With Flytrex, we’re entering the next chapter—bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time. Together, we’ll reshape how food, convenience items, and other essentials move through cities.”
The deal also marks Uber’s first direct investment in drone technology, part of its broader effort to build a multimodal delivery network that includes cars, bikes, sidewalk robots and now aerial systems.
NVIDIA Dealmaking Ramps Up
In September, NVIDIA announced two major deals that expand its role in AI infrastructure and personal computing. The company entered a $5 billion venture with Intel, the latter of which will produce custom x86 CPUs designed by NVIDIA for data centers and AI infrastructure platforms. For personal computing, Intel will manufacture system-on-chips that integrate NVIDIA RTX GPU components. The partnership brings together Intel’s position in CPUs and NVIDIA’s dominance in GPUs to deliver new hardware for AI workloads.
NVIDIA also struck a $100 billion agreement with OpenAI to build next-generation AI infrastructure. The project will deploy at least 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems to train and run OpenAI’s future models, with the first phase scheduled to come online in 2026 using NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin platform.
“NVIDIA and OpenAI have pushed each other for a decade, from the first DGX supercomputer to the breakthrough of ChatGPT,” Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s CEO, said in a press release. “This investment and infrastructure partnership marks the next leap forward — deploying 10 gigawatts to power the next era of intelligence.”
Import Volumes Level Off
Import volumes are easing after a strong summer at U.S. ports. According to new data from NRF and Hackett Associates, retailers moved early to get ahead of new tariffs, which made July one of the busiest months on record. Since then, volumes have leveled off and are expected to trend lower through the remainder of the year, in line with shifting trade flows.
Retailers stocked up in July, when ports handled 2.36 million TEU, the second-busiest month on record, as they worked ahead of tariff deadlines. While tariffs are creating some uncertainty, NFR says retailers remain stocked for the peak season.
“Retailers have stocked up as much as they can ahead of tariff increases,” said NRF’s Jonathan Gold, in a press release. “But the uncertainty of U.S. trade policy is making it impossible to make the long-term plans that are critical to future business success.”
More Cyberattacks on Supply Chains
Supply chain cyberattacks have doubled in 2025, averaging 26 incidents a month, according to Cyble. Recent breaches show the widespread nature of the impacts: one ransomware group claimed access to data on 41,000 customers, while another attack on a Swedish HR software provider disrupted operations for nearly 200 municipalities.
“Targeting suppliers and service providers helps threat actors build pressure on victims to pay,” Cyble analysts noted in their recent report. “Software supply chain attacks have been occurring at twice their long-term average in recent months and have shown no sign of slowing down.”
